Review: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Is the cellar the safest place or is it a death trap? This is one (of the many) questions posed during the Romero's original masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. Although Romero sadly lost his rights to this proverbial zombie bible, it remains the number one reason for his success and for the success of the genre today. Without it, Robert Kirkman, Max Brooks and many others would still be hanging out in their parent's basements reading comics and wishing they had girlfriends. Of course, hanging out in Max Brook's childhood basement would be way cool in its own right, but I digress.

The film is a black and white beauty, so please for the love of all that is unholy, do NOT watch a colorized version. In fact, if you happen to end up in possession of a colorized version I advise you to incinerate it immediately. Also, avoid any remake like the plague. 1968. Black and White. Romero. Nothing else comes close.

Anyway, the film opens as a brother and sister visit a graveyard to place a wreath on the headstone of their long-departed dear old dad. The brother is irritable and cynical, and the sister is nervous and tired. As they lay the wreath upon the grave, the sister, Barbara, notices a man walking in the distance. His black form stands out starkly against the bright white of the skyline, and Johnny (who is quickly becoming an annoying little jack ass), begins to tease his sister with the now-popular catch phrase, "They're coming to get you, Barbara."

Now of course, Johnny thinks he's joking. He doesn't believe that the man is a zombie. How could he? What a ridiculous notion! But as the man comes nearer and nearer, it becomes clear to the viewer that something is desperately wrong. This man is not your run-of-the-mill graveyard mourner, and before anyone can say or do anything to stop it...

Goodbye, Johnny.

From there, the story never slows down. We are taken through what can only be defined as "a really bad night" for a group of survivors barricaded inside a local farmhouse. They fight the zombies as much as one another, and truly give credence to Sartre's famous quote: "Hell is other people". While the vast majority of survivors are painfully inept, one hero rises from the cesspool of idiocy: Ben.

Ben is meant for this kind of scenario, the kind of man who knows how to keep his head even when the entire world has quite literally gone to hell. He's rational, methodical and brutally honest. And yes, this reviewer does have the world's biggest crush on him. Sadly, he died many years ago and so my crush will never be realized. Sigh.

If you like the normal zombie gore, this movie has plenty of it. Do not be fooled by its black and white exterior, this is a zombie movie in the truest sense, and there's plenty of flesh-munching and gun-shooting to keep even the children of the 21st century entertained. But what this movie is really worth watching for is the character development and interaction. Romero truly knows human beings, and it is not difficult at all to believe that this is exactly the stupid way people would react in such a crisis. You'll love Ben. You'll hate everyone else. And...of course...the ending is to die for. True film making cojones.

The only complaint I'll even entertain is about some of the acting. Remember, this was a small budget film and some of the actors are just that--small budget. My personal favorite is Judy, a trendy girlfriend-type with the emotional depth of a petri dish. I've directed seven year old children who had a better grasp on communicating character emotion. But alas, this is a small flaw in an otherwise pristine masterpiece. The "corny" parts are even enjoyable for their comedic value, and one has to appreciate the film for its contribution to the genre if nothing else. If you've never seen it, call in sick tomorrow and watch it.

My review: 5 out of 5 head shots